Committee Proposes Insurance Consultant

BLOOMFIELD — After more than a decade of raising a ruckus over a local patronage job, Republicans are close to winning some concessions from Democrats over how the town buys its insurance.

After a series of meetings to discuss who should be putting together the town and board of education's $1.2 million insurance packages, a town council subcommittee has recommended that a consultant be hired to review the entire process.

``This would bring in an independent third party with no political baggage. Someone who is not associated with the insurance agent of record,'' said Republican council member Anne Fetzner, who has been instrumental in seeking the changes.

Persistent questions about the position of insurance agent of record prompted the current review proposal. Republicans -- the town's minority party -- and, more recently, a local taxpayer group both have contested the Democrats' practice of annually appointing one of their most generous contributors to serve as the agent of record.

The agent, which for the past 10 years has been Michael Cohen, puts together insurance packages for the town's property, liability, automobile and worker's compensation coverage. Town Attorney Mark Needelman, a Democrat, has decided that Cohen's services are akin to that of a consultant, and so are exempt from the town's prescribed competitive bidding process.

The Taxpayer Advocates for Bloomfield has argued strenuously this year that the practice violates a section of the town charter requiring that the town manager serve as the purchasing agent for ``all supplies, equipment and other commodities.''

In fact, the taxpayer group wants the town to adopt an ordinance that would require it to seek bids for all insurance. Members are circulating a petition seeking a referendum on that question.

At a Republican town committee meeting Tuesday night, members, at the urging of Fetzner and council member Carl Reisner, decided not to vote to formally support the petition drive.

``I would like to keep the Republican Party out of the Taxpayer Advocates,'' Reisner said. ``It's important that the Republican town council members remain respected.''

Fetzner said she feared that the hard work she and others have put in to reach agreement on the insurance review would be undermined if the party put its force behind the petition drive.

``I've spent a lot of time trying to earn some respect and gain some bargaining power from the Democrats,'' Fetzner said, in an emotional appeal to her fellow party members. ``This is a big step.''

The subcommittee's action will result in the following:

* The town will advertise for, interview and hire a licensed insurance risk appraiser. The cost is expected to be between $5,000 and $7,000.

* The appraiser will evaluate the insurance practices of the town and the board of education, review coverage and loss experience, prepare necessary bid packages and recommend how the town could better manage its insurance.

* The appraiser's review likely will be ready in early fall, at which time the council will review the recommendations and determine what, if any, action should be taken.